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GanJam
The Annual International GanJam Music and Arts Festival ("GanJam" for short) is an annual music, arts and culture festival held in Kalistan each year. The name of the festival is a portmanteau derived from the terms "ganja" and "jam", and is suggestive of the association with drug use and music in Kalistan. The Festival, until recently either 3 or 4 nights long, has been held annually, with significant gaps in regularity, in Kalistan since 4017. Before that, the Kalistani Government held sporadic arts and music festivals, like the High Bong Music, ' Culture, and Art Festival' held in 3922, which was more of an arts and technology exposition, which also featured athletic competitions in Kalistan. The GanJam has most often been funded by entirely private investment and ticket sales. During years when the ODEN has been in operation, they have either contributed significantly to the investment in the show, or have sponsored it entirely. The Socialist Party of Kalistan also contributes heavily to the show, primarily to operations budgets and other logistical matters. Besides music, one constant feature of the festival is prolific drug use. Whenever ODEN sponsors the show, high quality marijuana, psychedelics and other drugs, and paraphernalia is freely distributed, or distributed at a substantial discount. ODEN sees the distribution of drugs at the festival as one of its primary community outreach programs, and maintains a huge tent at each festival that acts as a distribution warehouse. History of the GanJam Previous to the premier GanJam, Kalistan occasionally hosted music and arts festivals. These festivals were more designed to be an exposition of Kalistani Arts, and they were intended to attract people to Kalistan. International arts festivals held in Kalistan featured many non-music related events, such as art expositions, sporting competitions and concerts. The concerts did not focus specifically on popular music: instead they were designed to showcase the range of Kalistani culture. One such Festival, the International Music, Culture, and Art Festival, held at High Bong in 3922, was a direct antecedent to the GanJam. The exposition was part of the "Year of Celebration", which was seen as Kalistan's coming out Party, leading directly to the Kalistani Age of Affluence under SPoK Government. The festival featured Hip Hop from an Ibutho band named The Trunk, and Kalistani Acts Anne Clark-Bennots and Ananto Bay. The Socialist Party of Kalistan were the first sponsors of the Annual Ganjam in 4017. The goal of the initial GanJam was to promote Kalistani music and to invite people of the world to Kalistan to use drugs in Kalistan. The first GanJams were held sporadically: By 4074, the Premier of the Republic noted that the festival had fallen into disuse. The primary cause was the antipathy of the Government towards drug use in Kalistan, and the first ODEN going defunct. However, a small festival was nonetheless planned for that year, with a group called Killer Crowes headlining. By 4090, GanJam was restored under a new ODEN treaty, and the festival was held regularly since them, except during times when the Government, temporarily under conservative-fascist domination had abolished ODEN and outlawed recreational drug use. The most recent GanJams were begun again, following the re-establishment of the Socialist Party of Kalistan and the re-authorization of ODEN II in Kalistan. GanJam Schedules Before 4090, under the government of Premier Omar Al-Khalil of the Socialist Party, the GanJam was always a multi-stage event. This allowed concert goers to visit different stages playing three or four different cards simultaneously, as their tastes dictated, over three days. However, costs for booking shows in this format became too expensive, as private interest in the show dried up and the SP was forced to sponsor the show itself. The International Showcase For the 4406 show, the Organizers re-inaugurated the festival with International Day. This is now the standard first day of the festival, and features bands from around the world who support the GanJam scene. It is a day for international music to gain exposure and recognition by a predominantly Kalistani audience. The Legacy Showcase A later addition to the GanJam Schedule was "Legacy Night", which is usually held on the second night of the Festival. This night features older bands who might have enjoyed tremendous success a decade or more in the past, but who wish to play again. Legacy Night has stretched into the entire Second Day of the Festival, and the showcase is incredibly popular with older fans. L Night Al-Khalil organized investment for the show, and reorganized it to its current format, which has all fans at a single venue, and days and nights featuring different types of music. Since the reorganization, the penultimate night has always been reserved for Acid Rock acts, one of the most famous being Angst Experience and more recently Bonkers with Callie Malta. Show Closers Finally, the final night of the show features a Headliner act, which is judged to be the artist who most accurately reflects the dominant music in Kalistan at the time. This artist or band might not be the most wildly popular band in Kalistan at the time, but it is the most wildly popular band within the selected genre of music for the year. Headliners have included Dianne Dibiasse, Ras I and I and I and recently, a progressive Metal band called Crucificado Pelo Systema. The closing night is always the most heavily attended, as traditionally, L Night and the Final Night of the show have always been free. Festival Operations Ticket Sales and Attendance On a normal year, GanJam attracts anywhere from 75,000 to 150,000 concert goers. 4175 holds the record for best attended, with a verified attendance of 217,951. Record Low attendance and overt government hostility toward drug use in Kalistan, during the 4300s led to a much reduced concert: Record low attendance in 4327 was 43,250 concert goers. GanJam went on hiatus soon after that disastrous year. Ticket sales remain remarkably robust, though the last two days of the festival are always free for all comers. On ticketed days, Kalistanis buy on average 92,176 tickets per show, netting around 13 Million KRB in ticket sales for the show annually. Of the revenue, most of it goes for repaying investors who front the cash to hold the festival each year, and who organize sleeping quarters, venue security, band fees, and food for all on site. ODEN and the Socialist Party take no money for the show at all. Tickets usually go on sale when the lineup of the show is announced, and sell out almost immediately. Black Market sales are an issue, and Organizers have instituted a 4 ticket maximum per individual, with no sales to corporate entities to combat the problem. Venues GanJam is usually held in Ananto. Each city in Ananto has hosted the GanJam multiple times. In addition, the GanJam has been held in Eshar Odufaray, Port Yoshimi, Suldanor, High Bong Neveras, and Vrassa City, Vrassa. Venues primarily consist of a large Stage before a massive general admission "floor". The entire main festival area is surrounded by tents, vendors, and various services, like first aid, water sites, food sellers, a massive public kitchen which encourages volunteering from the crowd of concert goers to feed tens of thousands three free meals a day during the festival, security stands, and so forth. Beyond the perimeter of tents, area is provided for camping, washing, and restrooms. The venues are kept clean and orderly by a veritable army of conscripts from the National Service Program, who staff the venue. Public Safety In the environment of the GanJam, where copious amounts of drugs are consumed, public safety is of paramount concern for organizers. Frequently the organizers will contract members of various Party militias, who will form a temporary secret police corps to ensure public safety is completely upheld. The militia members blend in with the crowd, are required to abstain from partaking in any chemical or mind altering substance for the duration of the concert, and keep tabs on suspicious activity. At any show, organizers plan for one security officer for every 100 concert goers. In addition to the secret police which maintain order, uniformed police officers are stationed around the festival to assist concert goers and serve as a security auxiliary for the secret police. Hundreds of uniformed police man dozens of security stations across the venue grounds. With such an extensive security detachment at each GanJam, incidences of crime are remarkably low. Most crime involves petty theft or simple assault. At recent GanJams, the attendees themselves have organized an additional layer of security, and often take care of even minor offenders before the uniformed police even arrive. Police have reported that offenders are being held in custody by civilians and handed over to the police with no trouble. Music and Arts at the Festival Music Bands command the attention of crowds at the festival, which is predominantly a showcase for Kalistani and international music. The most common genres at the Festival are Acid Rock and Electronica. These two genres have commanded the stage for decades, and are the usual favorites for L Night, though recently there has been a move to incorporate more RF into L Night. The final day is heavily driven toward either Alternative or Reggae. These two genres have been the most important ones throughout Kalistan's History. To date, no Punk band has ever headlined the Jam, but occasionally, a Hip Hop act will do so. Over time, Alternative bands have headlined 59% of the time, and Reggae Acts, to include Dub artists have headlined another 39% of the time. Music is often more eclectic during the Legacy Showcase on the Second day with Punk and Hardcore acts often playing here. Country acts have also performed on Legacy Day, and far more popular, are the Funk artists that play on the Legacy Showcase. The first day is by far the most eclectic, simply because international acts are featured, and each of them brings their own nation's flair to the concert. Arts Arts take a back seat to the music, though alongside the music festival, art is constantly being displayed. Some artists reject the GanJam all together because they claim that inebriated people unfortunately touch their paintings. In fact, the arts portion of the festival is rarely promoted, and some artists are just angry that they are not getting the exposure that they believe they are due. Over the years, spectacular art has been displayed, however by local and international artists. On occasion, there have been statue gardens which provide amusement and enlightenment to the drug users who visit. Other times, galleries are filled with performance artists, who revel in freaking out spectators. There are paintings, modern art exhibits, interactive art demos, murals and dance recitals that are held just off the main area of the Festival at every GanJam. By general agreement, most art displayed is drug-themed. External Articles Category:Music Category:Organization of Drug Exporting Nations Category:Concerts Category:Festivals